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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[NOVEMBER, 1883.
how Buddhism deals with natural affections. It of the Bkah-hgyur as the Udinavarga, a collecrepresenta, in this direction, its highest achieve- tion of versified thoughts on various subjects, by ment in the example of the Buddha himself, "the Dgra-vcom-pa-chos-skyob, i. e. the Arhan DharPerfect being," "the blessed One," and the pic- matrata. This Dharmatrata is said to have been ture is not an attractive one; Buddhism aims, not the maternal uncle of Vasumitra and perhaps the at purifying all human feeling, but at destroying same as the pupil of Aryadêva, and hence must some of the best impulses of humanity. Nor is have belonged to the lst century A.D., and of this the only instance of the kind: the student of his different works in the Chinese collection, the Bauddha literature can point to many such; yet Dharmapada sitra is said to have been translated we find Mr. Arnold in the preface to his Light into Chinese in the year 224 A.D. of Asia stating, with most unwarranted assurance, This Uddnavarga was first discovered by Schiefthat "the Buddhistical books agree in the one ner to be a form of the Dharmapada (Mél. Asiat. point of recording nothing-no single act or word, tom. VIII, p. 560). There is also a Chinese version which mars the perfect purity and tenderness the Chu-yao-king or Avuddna-sútra, translated in of this Indian teacher." While such very exag. 398-9 A.D. by Sanghabhùti (a native of Kabul) gerated statements are contradicted by the most and Fo-nien; and the Tibetan version,-made by trustworthy records, it still however remains that
Vidyaprabhakara, probably in the 9th century, the singular beauty and attractiveness of Buddha's
appears to follow it very closely,-both being character" warrant us in ranking him as among divided into 33 chapters, with the same titles in
divided into 33 chanters with the e the greatest and noblest of men,-one who lived
most cases, and identical contents. It contains and laboured, however mistakenly, in order that
989 sentences or verses, of which 300 are nearly he might, if possible, lighten the miseries of his
the same as verses in the Pali Dhammapada, and fellow-men." Beautiful as his ethical uphorisms
150 more resemble verses of that work; 20 are are, in the estimation of those who have been
found in the Sutta Nipdta, and about as many brought up amid the culture and civilization of
more are very similar to parts of the same. Thus the west, their potential efficacy can only be in. it will be seen that more than half the book is ferred from the practical operation of the system
found in these works which are already well known in Nepal, Tibet, China, Siam, and other lands
to us. where it has had a fair and prolonged trial; and
The Udanavarga belongs entirely to the ethics the result is well known to be a very sad one.
of Buddhism, a subject which has of late This volume of Professor Beal's forms a valu
received so much attention, that the history of able contribution to the materials hitherto at our
the developments of the system has been almost disposal for the study of the doctrines of
lost sight of. Is it not time that scholars were Northern Buddhism, and the translator--already directing their studies again to the latter field, so well known by five or six valuable works as an
well opened up by the illustrious Burnout in his accomplished sinologue and student of Buddhism,
Introduction à l'histoire du Buddhisme Indien P -appears to have discharged his difficult task with Mr. Rockhill'e version seems conscientiously conscientious care. It forms an important addi.
executed, with footnotes and a comparative table tion to the interesting series of translations of the verses in the Dhammapada, Beal's Fa. embraced in the Sacred Books of the East, and is kheu-phi-yu, and the Sutta Nipata, that agree with specially fitted to supply the desideratum so well
the Udánavarga; but the book has no index. expressed by the Editor in his preface to the collection:-“We want," he says, "to know the
The QUATRAINS of OMAR KHAYYAM. The Persian text ancient religions such as they really were, not with an English verse translation, by E. H. Whinsuch as we wish they should have been. We field, M.A. (London: Trübner and Co. 1883.) want to know, not their wisdom only, but their It was only last year that Mr. Whinfield pub. folly also." By the translation of books like this, lished his translation of 253 of the Quatrains of hitherto unknown in any western language, the Omar Khayyâm which we noticed favourably at series is doing much to supply this want.
the time (see ante, vol. XI, p. 240); and now he has
issued a greatly enlarged edition, containing 500 UDÅNAVARGA: a collection of verses from the Buddhist
of these verses,-nearly the whole number in most Canon, compiled by Dharmatråta, being the Northern Buddhist version of Dhammapada. Translated editions.-with the original Persian text on the from the Tibetan of the Bkah-hgyur, with notes and
page opposite to the version. This edition includes extracts from the commentary of Pradin varman. By W. W. Rockhill.(London: Trübner and Co. 1883). all those in the first, but many of them have In the Asiatic Researches (vol. XX, p. 477), M. been recast and improved. The introduction also Csoma Körösi described at some length a section is enlarged from 6 to 30 pages.
• Prof. S. H. Kellogg, of Allegheny U.S.A., in Cath. Pres. Rev. 1883.
